Addicted To Anger

Why are we so angry? I don’t know how one would gather data on such a subject, but it appears to me that there is a lot more palpable and visible anger in our culture in the past 10 years, especially when it comes to the arena of politics.  Why is this? What’s the root …

I Hate Jazz

Click to hear, WBOK, by Kevin Shinn ©2015   A film that deeply moved me recently is La La Land.  It hit me at a critical time in my life when I was filled with overwhelming self-doubt, much like the characters Mia and Sebastian felt when they faced difficulty in pursuing their dream of being …

Forgive Us Our Trespasses…

  Click to hear MidiEastern by Kevin Shinn, ©2005 I have a friend getting out of prison this week.  It’s been an enlightening journey over the last couple of years visiting him and learning about life behind bars.  He was transferred to an Omaha facility last year, and it became a half day affair to …

Lighthouses

Click to hear, The Pipa by Kevin Shinn, ©2005   We visited the Outer Banks of North Carolina this past summer. The waters off that island were dubbed the “graveyard of the Atlantic. In 400 years, over 5000 shipwrecks were recorded. Sailors feared that passageway, but they didn’t’ stop going through because it was a …

Finding an Antidote for Boredom

Boredom is a fascinating human condition.  I wonder how much money is spent trying to address or assuage boredom versus trying to cure cancer or address any other disease? What causes boredom? Is boredom really a problem? Should it be labeled a disease? Does my dog get bored at home while I’m at work all …

It’s Time For Blessing

Click to hear, Abundance by Kevin Shinn, ©2005   I’m currently binging on the NPR podcast, How I Built This. The premise is the same for each episode. Enter an entrepreneur that started a well-known company from a meager beginning in his or her dorm room or garage and hear first hand how it was …

Uncharted Waters

I wrote this song in theory in 1994 for a student conference titled Uncharted Waters.  The theme centered around the idea that our beliefs require a step of faith toward a desired future or outcome without always knowing how we will get to that end.  I used the metaphor of ocean sailing as the language …

The Habit of Relaxing

  We closed the doors at bread&cup for good last Sunday.  It was 10 good years of serving our community. But seasons change and its time for something new.  I’m not exactly sure what that next thing is, but what I’m learning is that all good and productive work and activity needs to emanate from …

What is Failure?

It’s loss. It’s an ending. A bust. A defeat. A demise. A shortcoming. A lesson. A message. An opportunity. It doesn’t matter what word I use to describe it. It only matters how I define it. If I don’t define it… …it will define me.